christopher price

Lovin' it: Young defensive tackle making strides with Patriots

FOXBORO — Kyle Love’s game prep isn’t complete until he gets a text from his father. The son of a former Army officer, the words of wisdom are the jolt that the defensive tackle needs to get his head into the game.

“Something to get me excited, some kind of words of encouragement,” Love said when asked what his Dad tells him.

“My dad, he’s a big key to my success. He always tells me to give my all no matter what — give the coaches a reason to keep me. He’s always been like that, even since high school, middle school.”

This preseason, Love has certainly done a lot to give the coaches a reason to keep him. With many of the veteran defensive lineman sidelined over the first two weeks of camp, the 24-year-old Love has certainly taken advantage of the opportunity, starting both preseason games and seeing large chunks of time up front next to veteran Vince Wilfork in the Patriots’ four-man defensive front.

“I feel good,” said the 6-foot-1, 310-pound Love. “If the opportunity comes, I’m going to do my best to take it and run with it, so whatever situation coach puts me in, I’m going to do my best to try to give it my all.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Love is part of an entire group of second-year players who are feeling more confident this season, and that confidence shows when they take the field.

“They know more. They’re more confident. They still have a long way to go, but a lot of their fundamentals and their basic understanding of the offensive and defensive systems is way ahead of where it was last year,” Belichick said.

“And I think that results in players like Kyle playing more aggressively, playing at a faster pace, with more confidence – less hesitation about what to do and more aggressiveness in doing what their assignment is. And that usually comes with more confidence and a better understanding of the system and your techniques and just being able to cut it loose more and I think he’s done a good job of that.”

A Mississippi State product, Love was an undrafted free agent as a rookie, signing with the Patriots last April. But after an impressive offseason, he ended up bucking the odds and making the final 53-man roster. He played nine games, starting one (the regular-season finale) and ending up with seven tackles and a sack (against Buffalo) while providing depth along a defensive front that became worn down by injury as the season continued.

But instead of feeling secure with his position, entering the 2011 season, there’s no comfort level with Love. Instead, he said Saturday that he continues to carry a sizable chip on his shoulder — one he believes he needs if he wants to succeed in the NFL.

“Coming in as an undrafted rookie, I feel like I always got to push. I’ve been like that all my life — since high school — so it’s nothing new to me. I’m just going to keep on fighting and do what I can to get better every day,” he said. “I still feel the same way. I feel like if I keep that mentality I’ll stay around, so that’s going to be my mentality my whole career.

“No matter if I play nine, 10 years, I’m always going to feel like that.”

It sounds like the other incentive comes from not wanting to disappoint Wilfork. Love, who has a locker next to the veteran defensive lineman, says he’s been “like a big brother to me,” and says, “I’ve always got his back and I know he’s always got mine.”

“He’s always been an inspiration to me, even when he was in college,” Love said of Wilfork. “Guys always called me ‘Mini-V’ so ever since then I’m been watching him, in college and now. I still watch him. I ask him, ‘V how did you know what was going on that play?’ He just a veteran guy, so he teaches me.”

Love’s playing time will likely be affected when veterans like Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis return, but over the last three weeks, he has done more than any of the younger defensive linemen when it comes to putting himself into a position to make an impact on the 2011 Patriots.

“I feel like I have to do more because of my circumstances, being an undrafted guy. I still feel like that, I still feel like I’m undrafted, so I’m going to continue to feel like that,” said Love, who was married on July 16. “I just feel like I’m just going to do whatever I have to do to stay around and give my all every day.”

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